Variation in 2C Nuclear DNA Content of Zoysia spp. as Determined by Flow Cytometry
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abstract
Little is known about the variation of 2C nuclear DNA content in zoysiagrass {Zoysia Willd.). Therefore, a glasshouse study including 20 cul-tivars and 16 experimental genotypes of Zoysia japonica Steud., Z. macrantha Desv., Z. matrella (L.) Merr., Z. minima (Colenso) Zotov, Z. pacifica (Goudswaard) M. Hotta & Kuroki, Z. pauciflora Mez, and select interspecific hybrids was conducted in 2008 at Gainesville, FL. Nuclei were stained with propidium iodide, and flow cytom-etry (FCM) analysis was conducted with a laser cytometer. Genotypes from Z. minima and Z. matrella had the largest (0.96 pg) and smallest (0.77 pg) 2C nuclear DNA content, respectively. The observed 0.19 pg spread between zoysia-grass species was less than variation reported in other tetraploid warm-season grasses within the same species. Results further suggest that midparent values for 2C nuclear DNA content of interspecific hybrids between Z. minima and other Zoysia spp. may be statistically detectable. Zoysiagrasses have one of the smallest genome sizes but are extremely diverse with respect to morphology, growth habit, and response to abiotic and biotic stresses. This information supports the large genome constraint hypothesis that species with small genome sizes are better able to adapt to environmental changes due to a lack of evolutionary limitations associated with large amounts of repetitive DNA. Crop Science Society of America.
